Floating storage and mixing bin



Aug. 25, 1931. I A. ALLEN 1,820,521

FLOATING STORAGE AND MIXING BI I Filed Jul 29, 1929 v a Sheets-Sheet 1 Imnran ANDREI/VJ ALLEN Aug, 25, 1931. A. AL'LEN FLOATING STORAGE AND MIXING BIN 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 29, 1-929 Aug. 25, 1931. ALLEN 1,820,521

FLOATING STORAGE AND MIXING BIN 7 Filed July 29. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 ImfenTOT g f MM ANDREWS Aug conjointly, I preferably, though not necessarily, employ a specially constructed conveyor provided with movable gates which may be conveniently operated to discharge material from the conveyor into any one of the several bins.

Fig. 1 is a sectional view taken through one storage and mixing unit constructed in accordance with my invention and illustrating also a fragmentary portion of a second unit which may or may not be used as conditions may demand.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken throughthe apparataus of Fig. 1, the section being taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. '3 is a fragmentary sectional View of two adjacent storage and mixing bins and illustrating a modified form of conveyor for conveying the material into the bins when the said bins are used in series, and

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, illustrating the general cross-sectional contour of the conveyor trough and the positions of the movable gate.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings: v

10 designates a storage and mixing bin, 11 a drag conveyor for feeding material into the bin, and 12 a conveyor for receiving the material discharged from the bin. The bin may be of any desired length and is supported by suitable supporting structures in a position whereby the end wall ll of the bin inclines at an angle over which the material will slide when it is discharged from. the conveyor 11 into the bin. The discharge opening of the bin is located preferably at the lower corner of the bin and is controlled by any suitable discharge mechanism. In the drawings, I have illustrated, diagrammatically, a reciprocating discharge mechanism 15 adapted to be reciprocated across the discharge opening of the bin in a manner to discharge measured quantities of material upon the belt conveyor 12. The conveyor 12 carries the material to the place of consumption or treatment, as the case may be.

By inspection of Fig. 1 of the drawings it willbe seenthat the first materialfed into the bin will flow directly from the conveyor 11 to the discharge end of the bin. When the volume of incoming material exceeds the volume discharged from the bin, the surplus materialbuilds up a layer designated in the drawings by the reference letter A along the end wall of the bin. This layer will be built up until the inclined side thereof corresponds to the angle of repose of the material on the same material. Preferably the discharging mechanism is not put into operation until a plurality of layers are built up in the bin. The thickness of the several layers will depend, of course, upon the height of the bin. Preferably the height of the bin is such that the usual carlot of coal will form one layer in the bin, the layer of material being of such thickness that the material discharged is drawn from a plurality of layers. With this method of bedding material in the bin and discharging it therefrom, materials of different quality, when bedded in the bin, will be automatically mixed at the discharge end of the bin so asto maintain a substantial uniform quality of material discharged from the bin onto the belt conveyor 12. The conveyor 11 is preferably of the drag type consisting of endless link belts 16 provided with flights 17 which move through a conveyor trough 18. The bottom of the trough lSpreferably slopes toward the center, as shown in Fig. 2, and the bottom or that portion of the trough extendii'ig over the bin, is open, so that the material will discharge through the open bottom of the trough into the bin. The sloping bottom of the trough makes it practicable to reduce the width of the opening 19 of the trough, and

thereby minimize the power recuired to drag the incoming material over te top of the material in the bin. If the material in the bin is coal, the relatively narrow discharge opening 19 of the drag conveyor minimizes the amount of breakage, resulting from the dragging of the coal over the top of the pile in the bin.

In Fig. 1, I have illustrated the bin 10 approximately half filled with material. As the, body ofmaterial is discharged from the discharge opening of the bin, the entire body of material, due to the inclined bottom of the bin, will tend to move slowly toward the discharge opening, thereby insuring an ample supply of material at the discharge opening of the bin at all times.

When it is desired to mix materials of different character or of radically different quality, the storing and mixing bins are arranged in series. In Fig. 1 I have shown a bin 10w arranged end to end with the bin designated 10 so that its discharge mecha nism 15:; will discharge a quantity of mate rial from the bin 10a upon the belt conveyor 12. Thequantities of material discharged from either of the bins may be accurately controlled by controlling the operation of the discharge mechanism 15 and 15a, respectively. Consequently the materials from the bins 10 and 1001 may be accurately mixed with predetermined proportions. The bin 10-45, as shown in Fig. 1, is fed by means of conveyor 11 a arranged at one side of the conveyor 11.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated a plurality oi bins 10, 10a arranged in series, substantially illustrated in Fig. 1, but as shown, in this connection, a modified construction of feed conveyor. In this embodiment of the invention a single conveyor supplies mateng'aznguai T rial toeach of the 10 -10t. Thecon- "21 corresponding to the contour of the conveyor trough 19 and are operated in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3,

so as to drag thevm'aterial through the trough 19 to theplace of discharge. The

bottom of that. portion ofthe trough 19 eX-" tending over the bins 101 Oware provided with gates 22 23 adapted to be opened and closed by means of [cables or other suitable operating mechanism. Preferably the gate 23 is arranged so as to operate beneath the gate 22 and each gate issupported on suitable rollers 24-25 journaled on the side of the bin or other suitable support. With this form of conveyor the material can be directed to either ofthe bins 10.-10a without dragging the material-over the top of the body of material in the bin. ,When it is desired to feed material into bin 10a of Fig. 3, the gate 23 is loweredto a position below the gate 22 and untilthe upper'end 23a of the gate is substantially, flush with the end wall 14a of the bin; 'The 'material desired to discharge material into the bin 10, the gate 23 is drawn to its closed position and the gate 22 lowered until its upper,

sofar as such limitation is made necessary by the state ofthe prior art and by the feeding quantities of material into the bin will be discharged over the end 23a; and slide down over the end wall 14a of the bin 10a to build up a layer of material; designated As the materialis built up to, the upper portion of the bin, the gate 23" B in Fig. 3..

may be gradually closed soas to discharge the material upon the inclined .side of the pile at any point in the'bin. VVhen it is end 220 assumes a position opposite the side of the body of material in the bin.

' While I have described my invention in connection with two specific embodiments,

it will be obvious to persons skilled in this art that Various modified constructionszcan be produced without departing from the spirit of theinvention; It'will be under stood, therefore, that I do not desire to limit the scope of the invention except in expressed limitations pended claims. I claim: I 1. An apparatus appearing inthe apfor automatically mire ing material comprising a substantiallyrectangular storage bin positioned whereby the bottom and one end wall thereof incline at angles over which the body of material stored therein will move'by gravity toward the lower corner of the bin, a conveyor for to form contiguous layers therein inclined from the bottom to the top of the bin in, substantially parallel plane's, a'nd'mean's at" said lower corner of the bin .for withdrawing I fity of said layers of thesmaterial.

c-c-2.,Anapparatus for automatlcally miziing i I -the material simultaneously ifrom aiplurah;

material's' comprising a substantiallylree' ta-ngular storage bin supported in a:plosition wherebythe bottom and one end .wan T :thereofiincline at. angles .c orrespondingi sub-,

stantially .tothe "angleofjfiow "of material over said surfaces, a conveyor comprising .a' trough, the bottom ofwhlch slopes toward tlre1center and having, .111: that portion of i charge opening extending.zsub stantially the athe nbottom extending over the :bin', a disa v a length of the bin, a'neansuin .said trough for imparting movement to the material. in :the

Y direction of said dischargeopening whereby "the .-first. lot .ofmaterial introduce'diinto-lthe Y -bin forms a layer 'uponwsaid linclined end wall :{lIlCl the iinaterial subsequently intro ducedjfiowsover the inclined side otithe :mass to buildup suceessivelyilayers ofamat'e ing atthe-junction of said'end wall: anaboa tom for discharging material simultaneously from a plurality of said inclined .layers, :and

'means .;for controlling the rial' discharged. 1 3. An-apparatu's'r rial ofvariable volume and 'for automaticah :ly mixing same comprising" a substantially rectangular storagebin supported in; an Ianvolume of matebeddingabodyofmaterial in said bin comprising aitrou'gh positioned above, the bin and having-in that portion of the bottom extending over the bin, a discharge opening, means for moving material through said trough and discharging it vupon' the inclined wall and, as" .the body of materialv is built up in the bin to discharge the incoming ma terial'upon the inclined side ofthe mass'of material whereby the mass of material is which materialfmoves bodily over the inclined bottom and side wall of the bin toward the. lower corner of thebin, and means for withdrawing measured quantities ofmaterial from said bin 'at 'the vjunction otsaid end wall and. bottom, whereby the material discharged made up of portions taken from a plurality'of said'layers,

.4. An apparatus fonstorage of bullrzmatef-gu'lar position whereby the 'bott'oin an'd one I sendiwall thereoffincline. at anglesoverwwhich 1 the material will flow by gravity, meanstffor made upptajplurality of layers extending at'the angle of repose of the material and for automatically mining materials comprising a substantially "rec I 'tangular storage bin supported in a posi- ]tion whereby the bottom and one end wall thereof incline at angles over which the material will flow by gravity, means for substantially parallel planes from the'botintroducing material into'the bin' to form successively layers of material extending in '1 tom to the top of the bin comprising a conveyor trough positioned above the bin and having in that portion of the bottom extending over the bin a discharge opening extending substantially the length of the bin, means for moving the material through said trough and discharging it therefrom at the edge of the mass of material in said bin, and a closure for said discharge opening adapted to be moved longitudinally of the trough to shift the point of discharge from the trough longitudinally of the bin so as to discharge the material at the edge of the mass, and means for Withdrawing the material from the mass at the bottom of the bin.

5. An apparatus for mixing materials comprising a plurality of storage bins arranged in series and positioned so that the bottom and one Wall of each bin incline at angles over which the material Will move by gravity, means for bedding material in each bin in layers inclining in substantially parallel planes from the bottom to the top of said bins comprising a trough extending across said bins and having a discharge opening in the bottom thereof substantially equal to the length of said bins, closures for said discharge opening adapted to be positioned whereby the material passing through said trough will discharge at selected locations in said bins, means for Withdrawing material simultaneously from a plurality of layers of said bins, and means for receiving 3 and assembling the material discharged from said bins.

\ ANDREWS ALLEN. 

